1 in 3 Flemish municipalities hit by Internet and IT issues

A number of Flemish municipalities report technical issues with their platforms offering online services and their internal IT networks. Technical problems at Belnet are at the root of the IT issues that are affecting 1 in 3 municipal authorities in our region. A number of IT services at the Catholic University of Leuven (KUL) have also been hit with technical issues.

Tue 14 Jan 12:02

The IT problems have come about after a software update that was carried out earlier on Tuesday morning. A cyberattack has been ruled out as the cause.

Nathalie De Bast of the Association of Flemish Cities and Municipalities told VRT News that 1 in 3 municipalities in the region are currently experiencing technical issues with their IT systems.

"This is due to a technical fault. The organisation that is responsible for the network (Belnet) is currently doing all it can to repair the fault and we hope that the municipalities will be able to assist their residents again as soon as possible”.

Some municipal services are difficult to contact by telephone or email, while elsewhere municipalities have no internet or are unable to get their software programmes to work.

Among the municipal authorities affected are cities such as Bruges and Kortrijk. The City of Kortrijk’s Joery Beulque told VRT News that "This morning we were told that there is a problem at the provider that we use. We are currently unable to deliver any documents and have had to cancel all our appointments”.

It is currently unclear as to how long the technical issues will persist.